After 136 years on the bottom of Colpoys Bay, the Jane Miller has been found.

The 78-foot package and passenger steamer that sank in a storm on Nov. 25, 1881, taking along some 25 people, was discovered in the summer lying intact on the lake bottom.

American shipwreck hunters Jared Daniels, Jerry Eliason and Ken Merryman made the discovery on July 27 and revealed their find on the 136th anniversary of the sinking. The ship is mostly structurally intact with its mast still standing, rising within some 75 feet of the surface. They also spotted what could be bodies on the wreck.

Merryman, who has been hunting for shipwrecks for over 40 years, said it was exciting to be able to find the Jane Miller after it had been lost for so long.

“People call these things time capsules and they absolutely are,” Merryman said Sunday from his home in Minnesota. “That ship took on 10 to 20 tonnes of cargo, so now the archeologists have a snapshot of 1880s life on the Bruce Peninsula with what kinds of things are there.”

Local marine history author Scott Cameron said finding the Jane Miller is a major discovery for the area. He said there aren't very many ships left from the era, the wreck is mostly intact and it holds substantial archeological significance.

“It certainly tells a story and there is a big story to go with it,” said Cameron. “It is part of our community awareness of what we have got here.”

The Jane Miller was launched in 1879 from a small shipyard at Little Current on Manitoulin Island. Cameron wrote a story about the ship that is available on his website, www.steamboatstories.ca.

The coastal steamer conducted a regular service between Collingwood and Manitoulin with stops along the way, taking passengers along with loads of goods like apples, butter, furniture, farm implements and other assorted freight up the eastern side of the peninsula and to Manitoulin Island.

In his story, Cameron writes that the Jane Miller was “rather cranky.” It was short and stumpy with a high profile and shallow draft that made it roll heavily in stormy seas and difficult to handle.

The night it sank it sailed with a very heavy load from Owen Sound to Meaford, where more freight and passengers were picked up, Cameron wrote. In total, 25 people were aboard the ship, including the crew, passengers heading to destinations on the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island and 10 unidentified shantymen heading for the lumber camps on the peninsula.

The Jane Miller docked at Big Bay at 8:30 p.m. to pick up cordwood fuel before setting off to continue its journey amid streamers of snow and gale-force winds. Its next stop was said to be what was then known as Spencer's dock, midway between Big Bay and Wiarton.

Witnesses on shore last saw what was assumed to be the Jane Miller heading in the direction of Wiarton as it passed through the gap between White Cloud Island and the mainland sometime after 9 p.m.

A brass plaque stands at Colpoy's Lookout Conservation Area, 11 kilometres east of Wiarton detailing the loss of the Jane Miller.

In the days after the sinking some wreckage, personal items and freight were found. Searchers also noticed some bubbles and discolouration on the water, but the steamer itself was never found.

In July 27, 2017, the team of Daniel, Eliason and Merryman, with a permit from the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, discovered the Jane Miller.

Merryman said they mostly shipwreck hunt on Lake Superior, but have also done some hunting on the U.S. side of Lake Huron, as well as Lake Erie and Lake Michigan. Merryman and Eliason have been hunting together for about 27 years and and have found 20 shipwrecks together. They also both found several shipwrecks before they teamed up.

In July, the seasoned shipwreck hunters were in the Wiarton area with plans to search for the Manasoo and Jane Miller. After the weather made it difficult to search the open water where they believed the Manasoo is, they decided to look for the other ship.

Merryman, a founder of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society, said history told them the Jane Miller went down between Big Bay and what was Spencer's dock. They decided to look past the dock location, theorizing that the captain, Andrew Port, might have shot past the dock in order to drift into it, or decided to continue on to Wiarton.

It was only on about the second or third pass the searchers realized success and their sonar picked up the wreck at 3:30 p.m.

“We found it fairly quick and it was in a diveable depth,” said Merryman. “Nowadays that is fairly unusual. We weren't expecting that.”

The hunters aren't disclosing the exact location and depth of the wreck to allow government officials a chance to determine how to proceed with preservation and protection.

The next morning Merryman and the others headed back out to the site to dive and videotape the wreck. It was found sitting upright, three of the four large yawl davits that held the lifeboats still standing and the mast rising above. The hull is intact and the main deck cabins are intact, while the upper cabins have collapsed. Merryman said the wood on the side of the cabins had deteriorated and allowed them to see most of what was inside.

Their provincial permit didn't allow penetration of the wreck, but they made out what could be corpses on the ship.

Daniel said in a post at www.scubaboard.com that he made out 16 corpses in different parts of the ship, while Merryman said identification was made difficult because of the layer of mussels.

“I kind of suspected we might see human remains, and maybe we did, but it was hard to tell from the zebra mussels,” said Merryman. “It is hard to say.”

Among some of the key features they made out were a fire extinguisher attached to the side of the ship, the ship's wheel, anchor and engine.

Merryman could also make out a large stack of dishes that he suspected was cargo.

Their dive lasted about 25 minutes and while Merryman said they would have liked to dive the wreck again, uncooperative weather and time constraints didn't allow for it.

“There is a lot more to explore,” he said.

He said he is hopeful that the government gets a chance to study the ship and see what is on the wreck.

“We found it, but it is your wreck,” said Merryman, who said their permit allowed them to search and photograph the wreck before reporting it to the Ontario government, which they have done. The searchers have produced a video of the wreck, which can be seen at https://vimeo.com/244474805

Cameron expects the Jane Miller site will be protected since it is a gravesite and praised the dive team for not revealing the location.

“We certainly don't want people out there looking for it again,” said Cameron, who expects the Ontario Marine History Committee to protect the site, much like the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank on Nov. 10, 1975, with the loss of the entire crew of 29.

“You can't dive on the Edmund Fitzgerald and that is probably what will happen on the Jane Miller,” Cameron said.